Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Siduli bowed deeply to Danheng in return, saying, "We are the ones who should be thanking you, Lord Danheng."

Siduri straightened up. "Thank you... for traveling such a long distance to lend a helping hand in Uruk's most critical moment. The people of Uruk and I will always remember this kindness."

Danheng remained silent in the face of thanks.

Siduli seemed oblivious to Danheng's brief lapse in speech, and bowed again: "Then, I shall take my leave now. Please rest well and get some rest."

After leaving those words, Siduri turned and left.

Dan Heng watched the other person's departing figure until it disappeared from sight before slowly raising his head to look at the bright, almost unfamiliar moon in the night sky.

The moonlight was beautiful, a sight he had never seen before while sailing through the sea of ​​stars.

But this serene beauty could not soothe the turmoil in his heart.

"Thank you for coming all this way to help us through this difficult time..."

He... doesn't deserve this gratitude.

Siduri's gratitude should have been directed towards the people inside the house, those who came out of goodwill to help this era.

And what about him, Danheng?

What drove him to accept this mission was the points earned from the chat group missions. He needed something from the shop—an item that could completely sever his entanglement with his past and allow him to truly be reborn.

He came here with a pure and...selfish motive.

He... is not noble.

This gratitude, for him, is a misplaced burden.

Just as Danheng was immersed in this feeling of alienation...

"Hey!"

A sudden, warm, and heavy impact slammed into his back!

"Ugh!" Caught off guard, Dan Heng leaned forward slightly, dissipating most of the force, but the heavy, solid feeling still made him groan.

Xiling jumped directly onto Danheng's back from behind, her voice filled with curiosity: "What are you doing, Teacher Danheng? Hiding here all alone to enjoy the scenery? Admiring the moon?"

“…It’s very heavy,” Dan Heng said expressionlessly.

"Huh?" Xiling acted as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, immediately jumped off his back, and elbowed him twice. "What kind of lame joke are you talking about? Please! You are the Dragon Lord! With my little weight, I'm not even a feather to you!"

"I am not him," Dan Heng said, his usually calm tone slightly fluctuating.

He clearly resisted the title of Xiling.

Xiling's playful expression vanished for a moment. Seeing the clear resistance in Danheng's eyes, he flashed a bright smile: "Yes, yes, yes! You're not him! You're not Yinyuejun, you're Danheng! You're Danheng from our chat group! You're Xiling's friend! You're everyone's friend!"

Xiling's smile slowly faded, and he looked at Danheng, saying each word clearly:

"Danheng, this will not change because of anything, no matter who you were or what you carried."

Dan Heng was completely stunned. Looking at Xi Ling's incredibly serious expression, his mind seemed to go blank for a moment. He couldn't understand why the other party would suddenly declare these words so solemnly.

This... straightforward and intense declaration of belonging left him feeling lost and confused.

However, Xiling's words came in rapid succession and were not yet finished.

Xiling said with a serious expression, "Let me explain something to you first. Once you're in this chat group, there's no escaping. I don't care if you're him or him or him, as long as you're in the chat group, oh no, even if you're not there, I'll bring you back. Do you understand?"

Danheng fell into a long silence. His eyes were lowered, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

After a long while, Danheng finally raised his head, looking directly into Xiling's eyes. His voice was low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible inquiry and...some indescribable emotion:

"……what do you want to say in the end?"

The seriousness on Xiling's face vanished, replaced by a smile. Xiling reached out and gently tapped Danheng's chest, the force light, yet carrying a heavy promise:

"Danheng, we are friends." Xiling's tone was perfectly natural, as if she were stating an eternal truth.

"So, when you need help, don't try to carry it all on your own."

"Just call me."

Finally, Xiling reached out her hand to Danheng, waiting for his response.

Danheng stared at the hand, his thoughts somewhat at a loss. He remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Some memories flashed through Danheng's mind, but... they were not important to him.

He is not him.

Faced with Xilin's waiting, Danheng slowly raised his hand and grasped it.

"...I'm sorry I made you worry."

Xiling laughed and said, "This is nothing."

Just as Xiling was about to say something more, she realized why it was so... quiet around her!

An ominous premonition crept up her spine, and Xiling abruptly turned her head to look at the doorway, which had been silent just moments before!

Several heads peeked out from the doorway, smiling at the two people outside.

When the group realized that Xiling had finally noticed them, they immediately stopped huddling in their voices.

"Ooh ho~" Kevin struck first, nudging the Faded One next to him with his elbow. "Did you hear that? We're friends. Call me if you need help. Has that guy ever been this serious and sentimental when he talks to you, Faded One?"

The faded one waved his hand: "What a load of rubbish. In your world's terms, you're just a bunch of abstract concepts in front of me."

Kevin nodded in agreement: "We were treated differently! Seriously differently!"

Just then, Luo Tianyi and Penglai Temple Jiuxiao, the two little girls, couldn't contain themselves any longer and ran straight to Dan Heng.

With a serious expression, Penglai Temple Jiuxiao mimicked Xiling's tone and solemnly said to Danheng, "Danheng! We're friends too! Call me if you need help! I'm very reliable!"

Luo Tianyi nodded vigorously, her mouth still stuffed with half a pastry she hadn't swallowed yet, and mumbled but sincerely agreed, "Yes! Danheng! If there's anything delicious... oh no, if there's anything I can help with, you can tell me! Although I don't think I can do much compared to everyone else." Luo Tianyi scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

Elena walked up to Xiling, nudged her, and said with a smile, "You're quite the talker~"

Immediately after, Remian walked over, her hands behind her back, tilting her head to look at Xiling. Her smile was gentle, but with a hint of sulking: "Hmm? I've known you for so many years, and when you're with us old friends, how come I've never heard you say such heartfelt things? Hero?"

"That's right! That's right!" Kevin and the Faded One flanked Xiling like two shadows.

The two of them, with perfect coordination, simultaneously extended their arms and elbows!

"Discrimination, is that it?"

"You're showing favoritism, aren't you?"

"You value romance over friendship, huh?"

The two of them talked back and forth, sandwiching Xiling in the middle, as if they were interrogating her.

Xiling looked at Danheng's pleading eyes and then at the teasing looks of the others.

At this moment, Xiling could no longer hold back. Her face flushed and turned red at a visible speed, and her temperature soared, turning red all the way from her ears to her neck!

"...Ugh!" Xiling let out a mournful cry.

His life is probably over.

-

-

Xiling: Ohne Guy! Teacher Danheng! Let's chat in our group for life!!!

Chapter Eighty Merlin

The hero probably died in a fight with his fellow warriors.

The glaring morning sunlight cast excessively bright spots of light into the room.

However, the light that heralded the start of a new day could not penetrate the thick blanket.

Xiling buried herself completely inside, like a lifeless specimen.

The outside world is too noisy; the little dark kingdom under the covers is the only eternal refuge.

The pain is unbearable... Since the hero has passed away, let the bed beneath him serve as his coffin, and the quilt covering his body as the lid to shut out the noise of the world—let him be sealed here forever.

"Xiling, get up. Didn't we agree to meet the King of Uruk today?"

Kevin walked in and looked at the dead body covered by the blanket, and spoke.

"...The hero died last night," came Xiling's muffled voice from under the blanket, each syllable filled with a heavy sense of world-weariness. "Don't come digging up my grave for no reason."

"If you don't get up, I'm going to repeat what I said last night."

Swish!

A figure brushed past Kevin at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see, stirring up a gentle breeze.

Xiling was already dressed and looked as calm as ever, saying, "Let's go, we have a lot to do today."

After leaving those words behind, he walked outside, leaving a speechless Kevin behind.

Just as Xiling was about to say something, the Faded One saw him and said, "Ikkyu..."

Xiling immediately gave him a death stare, and the Faded One immediately made a zipping gesture near his mouth.

Seeing this, Xiling withdrew her death stare and then addressed the group, "Today I'll go alone to discuss with that king the matter of finding the three goddesses and defeating them."

Xiling could use his hero abilities to find the goddesses, however, perception is one thing, but accurately locating and describing the specific coordinates of those places that exist in the vast land of Mesopotamia is quite another. This time, he planned to split up, so he needed to ask Gilgamesh some questions about the goddesses.

No one raised any objections; the objective was clear, and action was imminent.

However, Elena then raised her hand and asked, "Can I go shopping during this time?"

"It's up to you guys," Xiling waved her hand and turned to leave.

......

Xiling stepped into the Divine Tower once again.

Before even entering the main hall, a slightly frivolous male voice with a unique rhythm floated out.

Xiling raised an eyebrow upon hearing the voice.

Upon entering the main hall, sure enough, there stood a male mage—Merlin—wearing a white robe, sporting flowing white hair, and with an unrealistically handsome face, who was chuckling as he explained to Gilgamesh.

"...So, Your Majesty, here's the situation, hahaha, I encountered a small mishap. I wasn't able to successfully meet the two from Chaldea,"

"By sheer coincidence, I bumped into that person on the way—and the result, naturally… was a warm welcome, and now I've been escorted all the way here before finally getting away…"

On his throne, Gilgamesh's crimson eyes never left the clay tablet in his hands. To Merlin's incessant chatter, he merely nodded very slightly, without even lifting his eyelids, barely acknowledging the existence of this being.

Just then, footsteps entered the hall. Merlin looked back, and... well, he didn't recognize them.

Just then, Gilgamesh finally put down the pile of clay tablets that seemed to never end, and his crimson gaze passed over Merlin and landed directly on Xiling.

"Is it time to begin?" Wang's tone was calm; he had clearly anticipated Xiling's intentions.

Xiling nodded. "Yes, just as you said, it's time to begin."

“Very good,” Gilgamesh pointed to Merlin beside him. “This guy is yours to handle. Just ask him what you want to know; he probably knows as much as I do.”

"Ah?!" Merlin's smile vanished instantly, and he let out an exaggerated exclamation, "Wait! Your Majesty! I just barely escaped from Kingu's enthusiastic attempts to keep me, and I haven't even had a chance to put my feet on the ground yet! How can you hand me over like this? This is too cruel!"

"Shut up, Merlin!" Gilgamesh rebuked mercilessly. "I asked you to do some things, and you've accomplished everything! You didn't bring the person back, and you couldn't find and bring back the Tablet of Destiny that I needed! The mission failed, and you still dare to mention the word 'rest' in front of me? Keep dreaming!"

"Eh~~ How could this be..." Merlin was completely deflated, hanging his head dejectedly like a frostbitten eggplant.

Just then, Merlin felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Xiling giving him a thumbs-up. "I'm counting on you this time, long-distance running champion."

"Huh?" Merlin pointed, confused. "Are you talking about me?"

"Hahaha," Xiling laughed without explaining, extending her hand and saying with a smile, "My name is Xiling, nice to meet you."

"I am Merlin, known as the Magician of Flowers, but I am just an ordinary magician." Merlin's self-introduction carries a hint of frivolity or mockery.

He reached out and shook hands with Xiling.

"If you're ordinary, then nobody's ordinary, right?"

After seeing that the two had recognized each other, Gilgamesh spoke again, "I want to know what you will do next."

Merlin tactfully stepped back slightly, giving the middle position to Xiling.

Xiling stepped forward and explained, "We plan to split into two groups. Merlin will lead my companions to find Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of the Three Goddesses Alliance. If we can persuade him, that would be best. If not, we'll have no choice but to take action."